Salem Brinkman
Salem Brinkman is a ruthless Helghast politician, and the leading figure of the Militants in the Imperial Civil War. Biography Originally, Salem was a pureblood Helghast officer in the Helghan Army that fought for Scolar Visari during the Second Extrasolar War. Even amongst his fellow Imperials, Salem was considered disturbing by most, as his apathetic tone and seemingly indifferent behavior to the constant warfare that surrounded him belied an unquenchable sadism that flowed just beneath his bland visage. Throughout the invasions of Vekta and Gyre, Salem slaughtered surrendering soldiers, unarmed civilians, and dissenting soldiers alike. On several occasions, Brinkman destroyed entire towns and even cities for the slightest provocation, using any and all excuses to inflict death and misery on those he held power over. Once the war was over, Salem was placed within the Imperial Cabal as recognition for "staunch loyalty to the Imperial cause." Under Scolar's rule, Salem committed atrocity after atrocity across the Empire, burning entire continents for daring to disobey the Triad. Scolar was more than happy to allow Salem's madness to flourish, as it only strengthened his regime. After the first Autarch's death, however, Salem found his particular set of skills to be rarely used by Hera, who saw the old man as a deranged monster. With his military aspirations dwindling, Salem instead chose to pursue a career in Imperial politics. Convincing and intimidating, Helghast nobility typically feared him too much to speak against him, while the military leaders of the Cabal where all too eager to hear his bloodthirsty cries for war. Salems' influence was great amongst the military, who committed unspeakable acts on his behest throughout the Third Extrasolar War. After this war's incredibly violent conclusion, Hera died from a cerebral anuerysm that had gone unnoticed up till then. When Hera's young daughter Maya was placed upon the Helghast throne, Salem willingly tore apart the Empire and balkanized the colonies into various political blocs, eagerly sending the army under his control to slaughter countless innocents purely for his own pleasure, and pursuit of power. Age and Personality Salem is incredibly old, having been born before the Second Extrasolar War, thought nobody knows the exact date. Salem was not only ferociously loyal to Scolar and adamantly followed the tyrants idealogy to the letter, he also held a deeply ingrained desire to see other beings suffer that was only fueled by Scolars' message. Humans who found themselves under his control found their existences to be short and painful, as Salem fed his perverse desires through this power he held. When Mars introduced artificial being into the galaxy, Salem felt only digust, hatred and a desire to destroy every synth he encountered. When these beings chose to move into the Empire, while he was admittedly powerfless to stop them on a whole, he did see new potential targets for his sadistic hobbies. While Salem initially kidnapped these beings purely out of a hateful desire to torment them, as he aged he began to see new usefulness within the Gen 8 synths- quite literally. Once every other decade, Salem would have nearly a dozen synths kidnapped, dragged into secure bunkers and dissected alive without anesthetic, before having their cybernetic enhancements and superior synthetic organs grafted into his body to prolong his own lifespan. As a result, Salem appears to be only roughly 45 in age, despite the fact that he is well over a century old, and he has the strength and endurance of someone within their early twenties. Salem is murderous in his intent towards most beings he meets, and he holds very little positive emotions for any other beings, save for potentially Scolar Visari. Brinkman has slaughtered entire cities for harboring a single dissident, and has at points destroyed the ecosystem of entire worlds for provocations as slight as public protesting. While the Empire reduced its' oppressive nature and gradually allowed more freedoms and rights to its' citizens, Salem had to become increasingly creative in excuses for him to excercise his desire across the galaxy. During warfare he finds himself happily at home, surrounded by death, violence and suffering filling him with a joy he can scarcely describe. Now, with the helghast military under his control, and an entire Empire torn apart by war, he finds himself in a state of indescribable rapture, with entire planets burning for nothing more than his enjoyment, as he wreaks destruction and death across the galaxy, simply for the sake of it. If Salem were to successfully conquer the Empire and establish dominion across the military superpower, the rights of human and half-breed would certainly be diminished. Synthetic beings would be hunted down and slaughtered without question or mercy, as qould the offspring of these beings... save for a small group of chattle he harvested organs from every decade. Once his power was solidified over the Empire, it is almost certain that Salem would drag the galaxy into another star-spanning war, likely without any particular interest in even winning or conquering. Salem finds his pleasure in the deaths of his fellow sentients, and revels in their misery. Destruction for destructions' sake would be all the reason he would need so send billions more to their violent and ultimately meaningless deaths. Civil War "I've been waiting a long time to say what needs to be said for this Empire. We've been pushed aside... disregarded... mocked. and then she, had the gall, to cater to the parasites leeching off of our work rather than assist her own people. No more. Never again. We have endured this humiliation long enough. At their very best, these artificial beings are an invasive species,crawling into lands where they are not wanted or needed, forcing change to the hosts' law and culture to better suit their selfish needs. At worst, they are an affront to the natural order of the galaxy, a grave threat to our very existence, and the perfect example and monument to the utter hubris of the human race. A vast, slumbering threat that infiltrates us on a societal level, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. ''If this government lacks the will to do what is needed for the greater good of our race, and chooses weakness and appeasement over loyalty and strength, then this military will no longer support this institution. As of right now the helghast military is declaring martial law across the Empire. We will eradicate this menace, and return our glorious empire to the paths Scolar set out for us so long ago. Glory to the Helghast, and to our great Empire. And death, to ALL our enemies, from without, and within." - ''Salems' official declaration of war against Maya Visaris' institution. Category:Fan Made Characters